This is pathetic. Oil rich Angola did manage to do the right thing but the other oil producing countries such as Nigeria fell dramatically short. The target numbers were already low so this is beyond shameful. The wealthy African Union countries really needs to step things up to help their neighbors. Not every country in Africa has the financial capabilities to assist but some definitely could and should do more.
African leaders have come under fierce criticism after a much-delayed African Union summit to tackle the food crisis in the Horn of Africa raised less than 4 per cent of the shortfall needed. Only four heads of state – from Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Equatorial Guinea – attended the meeting, designed to gather urgently needed funds to help save the nearly 13 million people now at risk of starvation on the continent.
Only 21 out of the 54 countries in the AU made pledges, with $20m of the $46m promised coming from three states – Algeria, Angola and Egypt. Aid groups say they need $1.4bn to meet the shortfall in tackling the emergency. Jean Ping, chairman of the AU commission, announced the summit had raised more than $350m, but the bulk of the sum was in fact a $300m loan from the African development bank and not a grant at all.
